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Technology

Ukraine and Russia’s energy war intensifying

By Tim Lister, Daria Tarasova-Markina, CNN (CNN) — Almost 900 miles from Ukraine’s borders, a fire erupted at a Russian oil refinery on Saturday. The blaze – a result of a strike by Ukrainian long-range drones, according to sources in the country’s security services – was the third at the facility in the last month alone. It was just the latest episode in an intensifying energy war between Ukraine and Russia. Video from the area around the Ufa refinery in Bashkortostan, a Russian region in the southern Ural Mountains, showed a column of dark smoke rising from the plant following the attack. The refinery is one of the country’s largest. This was at least the fourth Ukrainian attack on Russian oil facilities in the last week, continuing a campaign that accelerated over the summer and has led to gasoline shortages in parts of Russia. Overnight on Thursday, according to the Ukrainian military, a gas processing facility and pumping station in the Volgograd region of southern Russia were also hit. Ukraine’s special forces claimed that the pumping station has an annual capacity of 50 million tons. The latest Russian strikes on Ukraine left more than 240,000 homes in the southwestern Odesa region without power on Saturday, according to officials. Ukraine’s energy ministry said more than 800,000 customers in Kyiv lost power for a time. Ukraine’s extended reach Kyiv’s growing ability to strike refineries well over 1,000 kilometers inside Russian territory is down to an increasing arsenal of locally-made drones and missiles. Ukraine struck Russia 70 times in September, according to Ukrainian commander-in-chief, Oleksandr Syrskyi. “We are destroying the aggressor country’s production of fuel and lubricants, explosives, and other components of the Russian military-industrial complex,” Syrskyi said in a Telegram post on Friday . Winter shortages Ukrainian officials acknowledge, however, that Ukraine’s gas and other infrastructure is itself under heavy pressure from Russian attacks. “There are 203 key facilities in Ukraine that we need to protect with air defense systems,” Zelensky said, while renewing his appeal for more Western systems. The Ukrainian leader said he had discussed the Russian attacks in a call with US President Donald Trump Saturday as well as “opportunities to bolster our air defense.” According to Syrskyi, Ukrainian air defenses are “about 74% effective,” but further efforts are needed to protect energy facilities. Friday’s attack was “one of the largest concentrated strikes specifically against energy facilities,” according to Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko. “Unfortunately, there is significant damage to the energy infrastructure.” Russia’s mounting assault on Ukraine’s gas production means Kyiv will have to seek higher imports than previously anticipated. Ukraine is currently negotiating with its international partners to increase natural gas imports by about 30% as the winter approaches, according to energy minister Svitlana Grynchuk. Domestic demand for gas in Ukraine usually spikes sharply from November. Ukraine had already arranged credits from European institutions for €800 million ($930 million), Grynchuk said, and had discussed expanding these loans. Most of those extra imports will come from Europe. The European Union disclosed last week that its storage facilities were at 83% capacity ahead of peak winter demand. For now, the price of natural gas remains steady on European markets. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

5 hours ago

Technology

Jamaica: Fisherman missing,16 rescued after boat fire

KINGSTON, Jamaica, CMC – The Jamaica Defence Force (JDF) says one fisherman is believed to have drowned and 16 others were rescued at sea following a boat fire off the coast of Clarendon on Friday. In a statement, the JDF said that around midday, members of the Coast Guard spotted a vessel ablaze just south of Portland Point. The soldiers responded quickly, extinguished the fire, and searched the surrounding area, where they discovered 16 people aboard three small canoes. The rescued individuals were taken aboard an offshore patrol vessel, given hydration, and transported to the mainland for medical evaluation. Authorities reported that one crew member remains missing and is presumed drowned. The crew reportedly included nine Dominicans and eight Jamaicans. The JDF is urging mariners along the island’s southern coast to remain alert for any signs of the missing fisherman and to report sightings immediately to the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre.

6 hours ago

Technology

Dangerous flooding in the US

By CNN’s Dakin Andone, CNN Meteorologists Linda Lam and Mary Gilbert (CNN) — An impactful nor’easter is strengthening and unleashing damaging wind gusts, heavy rain and coastal flooding as it tracks up the mid-Atlantic coast. The storm is packing a serious punch as it slowly moves north and disrupts air travel at major Northeast airports and threatens to push the ocean into homes and onto roads along the mid-Atlantic coast. This coastal storm is called a nor’easter due to the prevailing wind direction from the northeast ahead of its center. These northeast winds push water toward the coast, causing it to erode beaches and pile up and cause flooding. Here’s the latest: Water rescues: Authorities in Georgetown, South Carolina, rescued several motorists trapped Sunday morning by floodwaters due to a “copious amount of rainfall” that fell in just a few hours, Georgetown County Emergency Services Director Brandon Ellis told CNN. Georgetown recorded nearly 10 inches of rain in the past 24 hours. Punishing winds: Wind gusts over 50 mph have been observed in North Carolina, Virginia, Delaware and New Jersey as of Sunday afternoon. A gust of 61 mph was measured at North Carolina’s Cape Lookout while gusts for New Jersey’s Sea Isle City spiked to 59 mph. Strong winds gusts will continue to spread north. Dangerous coastal flooding: Water levels were rising early Sunday afternoon from North Carolina into the Northeast. Water levels in Duck, North Carolina, hit major flood stage late Sunday morning with dozens of other locales expected to see major or moderate flooding in the coming hours. Some locations could see water levels reach a mark not touched in more than a decade into Monday. Travel woes: The storm is already affecting air travel in the Northeast, with ground delays Sunday afternoon due to weather at Boston Logan, Reagan National, Newark Liberty, Philadelphia, John F. Kennedy and LaGuardia airports, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Significant coastal flooding ongoing Dozens of river gauge locations are expected to reach moderate or major flood stage, the most severe level, from this nor’easter. Areas from the Virginia Tidewater into Delaware and southern New Jersey are of particular concern. The major coastal flooding could inundate roads and homes, as well as cause beach erosion when combined with the heavy rain and strong winds. The slow movement of the nor’easter will result in multiple rounds of coastal flooding and increase the beach erosion potential up and down the East Coast. This potent coastal storm has already caused coastal flooding in the Southeast. Portions of North Carolina Highway 12 are closed Sunday due to ocean overwash. The Department of Transportation has warned drivers that travel is dangerous in the Outer Banks. Ongoing beach erosion in the Outer Banks will add to concerns there. At least nine unoccupied homes have collapsed into the Atlantic since September 30 due to intense wave action and erosion from recent storms. Charleston Harbor in South Carolina reached major flood stage Saturday afternoon and Friday morning,flooding streets there. Heavy rain is also amping up the threat level: The motorists rescued from floodwater in Georgetown, South Carolina, were “checked on by fire personnel, removed from their vehicles and brought to dry ground,” Ellis said, adding no injuries have been reported. He did not have an exact number of people rescued but estimated about a half dozen were assisted within the city. Though officials there hope the worst is behind them, Ellis urged motorists to “turn around, don’t drown” when encountering flood water or barricades. Leaders urge vigilance Leaders up and down the East Coast have told residents in their states to be cautious. Acting New Jersey Gov. Tahesha Way declared a state of emergency that went into effect Saturday night “out of an abundance of caution,” asking residents to stay off the roads “unless absolutely necessary.” Governors like Kathy Hochul of New York and Wes Moore of Maryland stopped short of declaring emergencies but still urged vigilance. “I also encourage all Marylanders to ensure their loved ones and neighbors are properly monitoring the potential for high winds, rain, and flooding,” Moore said. “Take care of yourself. Take care of your people.” Atlantic City has been getting ready for the storm over the last week, Mayor Marty Small Sr. told CNN on Sunday, adding the city had learned from past storms like Sandy how best to prepare. “We always prepare for the worst and keep hoping for the best,” the city’s Acting Emergency Management Coordinator Michael Famularo told CNN. Wind, heavy rain not just coastal concerns Climate change is supercharging the winds of the strongest nor’easters, a recent study found, and this one has the potential to bring significant impacts to multiple locations along the East Coast. Strong, prolonged damaging wind gusts of 40 to 55 mph will lash the coast as the storm crawls north. Some of the strongest gusts over 55 mph are expected from New Jersey into southern New England. These wind gusts are as strong as what a tropical storm produces, despite this storm not being classified as one. The high winds could last into Tuesday morning along the Northeast coast and could down tree branches and send unsecured objects flying. Rainfall of 1 to 3 inches will be common along the East Coast, with some spots in eastern North Carolina and southeastern New England possibly picking up totals of up to 6 inches. Localized flash flooding will be a concern in areas that experience multiple rounds of heavy rain. The nor’easter will finally either weaken or pull away from the coast Tuesday. High pressure will build in behind the storm, resulting in dry weather and decreasing winds. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

6 hours ago

Technology

Vacherot defeats Djokovic and his own cousin to win Masters

By Issy Ronald, CNN (CNN) — Of all the runs that Valentin Vacherot could have embarked upon to win his first-ever major tennis tournament, this was surely the most unlikely. The world No. 204 had to navigate qualifying to even appear at the Shanghai Masters, then defeat four players all seeded far above him before stunning world No. 11 Holger Rune in the quarterfinals. Next was the small matter of Novak Djokovic in the semifinals whom he promptly defeated 6-3, 6-4. And that secured his place in the final where, remarkably, he faced his cousin Arthur Rinderknech, who had upset Daniil Medvedev in the other semifinal. There, the 26-year-old defeated his cousin 4-6, 6-3, 6-3 to become the lowest ranked player ever to win an ATP Masters 1000 title, capping a fairytale tournament for him, and his family. They became the first cousins to compete against each other in a Masters 1000 final and the first family members since John McEnroe defeated his brother Patrick in 1991 at the Chicago Open, per Opta. “Grandpa and Grandma would be proud,” Vacherot wrote on the camera lens afterward. Both Vacherot and Rinderknech, who played college tennis together at Texas A&M, struggled to talk in their post-match interview, such was the overwhelming emotion of the occasion. Rinderknech, the favorite going into the match and the world No. 54, won the first set, conceding just two unforced errors and hitting 12 winners in a dominant display. But Vacherot rallied in the second set to level the match before making just one unforced error in the third to take the win. Before this tournament, Vacherot had only won once on the ATP Tour, accumulating $594,077 in prize money throughout his entire career. Now, he is set to rocket up the world rankings into the top 50 and will pocket $1,124,380 in prize money for this tournament alone. Rinderknech was also breaking new ground in Shanghai, progressing beyond the third round of a Masters 1000 event for the first time in his career but he was only able to focus on his cousin’s achievement afterward. “To Valentin, my love, you just gave everything, I’m so happy for you, I hope we’re going to have more,” Rinderknech said afterward. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

8 hours ago

Technology

‘La-Dee-Da’ dame of Hollywood, Diane Keaton, dies

By Dan Heching, CNN (CNN) — Diane Keaton, known for her unique brand of comedic timing and inimitable style, has died. Stars from Goldie Hawn to Bette Midler to Steve Martin expressed their love of the actor after hearing the news, paying tribute to “just a truly original person,” as Reese Witherspoon put it. “It’s hard to believe,” said Jane Fonda in a tribute. Keaton was 79, and the cause of her death was not immediately available. A spokesperson for the Los Angeles Fire Department told CNN that they received a call for medical assistance on Saturday morning at Keaton’s address and paramedics transferred a person to a hospital. A law enforcement source confirmed the person transported was Keaton. Keaton was a celebrated and prolific actor whose career spanned decades, early on earning an Academy Award in the best actress category for 1977’s “Annie Hall.” The film showcased Keaton’s abilities in the realm of comedy but also displayed her nimble handling of authentic and vulnerable moments. An undeniable comedic talent who said in 1997 that she’s “more inclined to live comfortably in the world of humor,” Keaton nonetheless also made her mark in a number of dramatic movies – including a pivotal role in Francis Ford Coppola’s acclaimed “Godfather” films, in which she played Kay, wife to Al Pacino’s Michael Corleone. Starting out Keaton, who bore no relation to Buster or Michael, was born Diane Hall in 1946 in Los Angeles. In a 2004 “Fresh Air” podcast, she talked about how her mother, a homemaker and amateur photographer, won pageants and became Mrs. Highland Park and later Mrs. Los Angeles, which first gave her the urge to perform. “I did want to go on stage, I saw that that was something that did appeal to me,” she said. “There she was in the theater, and I saw the curtain open and there was my mother, and I thought, ‘Hm, I think I’d like that for myself.’” After finding her place on the theater stage in the late 1960s in a Broadway production of “Hair” – in which she gained some notoriety for declining to perform nude for one of the musical numbers and thereby forewent a sizable (at the time) $50 bonus – Keaton burst onto the film scene with the first “Godfather” film in 1972, going on to appear in several films throughout the decade opposite the writer and director Woody Allen, who was also her romantic partner around that time. The films they acted in together include Allen’s “Sleeper” and “Play It Again Sam,” but it was her star turn in “Annie Hall,” in which she played the joyous and carefree titular character who falls in love with Allen’s bumbling, self-hating comedian, that would prove most memorable. Leading lady From there, Keaton enjoyed leading star-status in a fair share of notable films, including 1977’s “Looking for Mr. Goodbar” and 1981’s “Reds” opposite Warren Beatty, a film that scored multiple Oscar nods including another one for her. Another classic film starring Keaton from the ’80s era was 1987’s “Baby Boom,” which featured her as a high-powered ad exec who suddenly finds herself saddled with the infant of a dead long-lost relative. The fish-out-of-water comedy costarred Sam Shepard and reminded audiences of Keaton’s deft skills at leading a movie that mixed the funny with the dramatic and thought-provoking. Later in the decade, Keaton earned a third Oscar nom for the tearjerker “Marvin’s Room,” in which she starred opposite Meryl Streep and Leonardo DiCaprio. The film tells the story of an estranged pair of sisters who reunite to grapple with their past as well as the onset of illness. Far from slowing down Keaton was featured in several more acclaimed movies in the aughts – including the 2003 rom-com “Something’s Gotta Give” opposite Jack Nicholson and Keanu Reeves, in which she scored her fourth lead actor Academy Award nod – as well as “The Family Stone” from 2005, a modern-day Christmas classic with Keaton in the role of a matriarch who unwittingly helps her children find the partners they belong with. She also starred in the comedy “Summer Camp” alongside Kathy Bates and Alfre Woodard last year and had a few titles in the works – including a film with Blake Lively and Richard Gere, according to her IMDb. Keaton was also an accomplished producer and director. She helmed the acclaimed 1995 drama “Unstrung Heroes” starring Andie MacDowell, as well as “Hanging Up” in 2000. Her producing credits span over 30 years, with the most recent being an executive producer credit on 2023’s “Maybe I Do,” which starred Keaton, Richard Gere, Susan Sarandon and Emma Roberts. Unapologetically independent Keaton never married, and had been outspoken about her thinking on the topic, saying it goes back to her mother, as “most everything does.” “She had four kids, and I was the firstborn. I saw how much she gave up,” Keaton said in a 2021 piece for Interview. “I feel like she chose family over her dreams. And she was just the best mother, but I think that she is the reason why I didn’t get married. I didn’t want to give up my independence.” With her trademark humor, Keaton added, “By the way, no one has ever asked me to marry them, either, so that might be a good answer. I should’ve started with that and called it a day.” Keaton is survived by her two children, daughter Dexter, and son Duke. She adopted them both in her 50s. When she was 69, Keaton told AARP Magazine, “At this age, everything seems much more astonishing. Like, Oh my goodness, look at that sycamore tree! Why didn’t I see that before? There’s a magical aspect, a wonder, to being on this planet.” Keaton’s death was first reported by People magazine. CNN has reached out to her representatives, who have not replied. Producer Dori Rath, who worked with Keaton, confirmed the actress had died to CNN on Saturday. The-CNN-Wire™ & © 2025 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.

8 hours ago

Thousands Walk for the Cure 

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5 days ago